Blumen, Angela

Abstract [en]

This research paper deals with the discourses that are present in the identity construction of interviews with four women in the new British magazine The Gentlewoman. The discourses are looked at through the critical deconstruction of how the interview is built. This includes looking at the types of questions asked, as well as the amount. The paper will also take a look at the relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee and how it becomes visible through their interaction.The interviews that are analysed in this research have shown that gender is a big part of identity construction.This research is grounded in theories of feminism as wells as the concepts of gender, representation, identity construction, and stereotypes. The method used is Critical Discourse Analysis with a framework taken mostly from the linguistic field. This framework helps to deconstruct how women are presented in the magazine since the theory deals with de-mystifying the underlying power relationships.For the analysis one interview was taken from each of the first four issues. The analysis of these four interviews gives an insight into the way The Gentlewoman's journalists act within the discourse of a dichotomous perception of gender. Also, gender related topics such as appearance are discussed. Although the magazine tries to be unique and modern, through their stereotypical perception of gender they do not differ from other magazines for women as can be seen when compared to previous research.Going deeper with the analysis other discourses become visible. Throughout several interviews it is noticeable that The Gentlewoman is British and that there is always a question about where the interviewee is from, and in most cases there is a question to the interviewee about her relationship to Britain. This discourse is grounded in the difference between us and them and also related to the heritage discourse.The in-explicit focus on the gender discourse become visible through the choice of people the magazine interviews and through which kind of questions are posed. The assumption that the magazine changed its discourses and the way they interview since the first number is made, as the magazine is a newly started one as they still have to find a niche in the market.